The 25th Anniversary of Def Leppard's "Hysteria" !!!

HAPPY HYSTERIA DAY!!!!!!

On August 3rd, 1987, Def Leppard released their fourth studio album, and their best-selling album to date, Hysteria. The album has sold well over 20 million copies worldwide, seven singles were released, and charted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK Albums Chart. Hysteria is one of the definitive albums of the 80's, and one of the greatest albums of all-time. But all of this statistical stuff isn't why I'm writing this blog...

Hysteria was the first album I ever owned. My parents bought it for me when I was two years old... yes, two years old. 1988. I was raised right. My Mother was glued to MTV (back when they played, wait for it... MUSIC VIDEOS!!), so of course, I was subjected to MTV and all of it's awesomeness... from the moment I was brought home from the hospital. True story! 

Def Leppard was my first favorite band... and they still hold that title. NKOTB was a close 2nd at that time, but we won't get into that. Ha. Def Leppard owned my little rock 'n' roll heart :) "Animal", the 3rd track off of Hysteria, was my absolute favorite song (and still is)... I don't really remember what the first Leppard song I heard was or the first video I saw... but I have a feeling it was either that one or "Photograph", because to this day, those 2 seem to have the most profound effect on me. They were my heroes and my studs. Yes, studs. I thought Joe Elliott and Rick Savage were absolutely dreamy... all at age 2. It was because of Rick Allen, that I wanted to become a drummer... I'd take two spoons from the kitchen drawer and pound away on the sides of our couch. It was because of Steve Clark (and Joan Jett), that I asked my parents for a plastic guitar (it also came with a working, plastic, red amp, and a mic with a stand)... I used to stand in the middle of our living room, singing and "playing guitar" to Def Leppard songs. "Animal", was played frequently in the sets... haha! "An-ee-mool". Oh, and their "Live: In the Round, In Your Face" VHS tape completely rocked my little world, as well (and still does, but now it's DVD). I could go on, and on, about my 24 year history with Def Leppard, but I won't, at least not in this blog... let's focus on what this blog is really about, Hysteria.

Okay, so I always find myself saying that this is my favorite Leppard album... and it is. But so is Pyromania and High 'n' Dry. But Hysteria is the album that is the most meaningful to me. Maybe it has something to do with it coming out so close to my birth year... or because I constantly saw the videos for the Hysteria singles on my TV screen more so than the other videos they had for singles from their prior albums?? Or maybe it's because Steve Clark absolutely shines on this album... or the fact that this was Steve Clark's last Def Leppard album?? The triumphant return of the THUNDER GOD after his horrific accident?? Those could all be the reasons for me loving the crap out of this album. I don't know? What I do know, is that this album gives me goosebumps (every time I listen to it), it makes me weep (in a good way), and it makes me incredibly happy... and it feels like home (whatever that means?). It brings the biggest smile to my face. Hysteria is an absolute GEM. Many fans love it, calling it their "best album ever"... and many fans hate it calling it "Leppard's worst album ever", "overproduced, too poppy and fluffy"... you can't please everyone. I however, love this damn album to death. Can I call it the "greatest album ever" ? I probably could, because it's my favorite album EVER, but it doesn't mean it is. But I hate labeling anything the "greatest such and such ever", because that just irritates me. So, I'll just continue to say it's "one of the greatest albums ever" ;)

Track by track

The first track on the album, is "Women", which was the first single they released here in America. Their first single for this album, everywhere else, was "Animal". I read somewhere that their manager (at that time) chose to go with "Women" because he felt that the band needed to reconnect with their hard rock audience before putting out more Top 40-friendly singles. Um, "Women" is hard rock? I, personally, would have fired that guy right then and there. I don't know jack dookie stain about the music industry, but even I know that song shouldn't have been released as the first single. It isn't a bad song, it isn't... but knowing how importantly massive this album was, and everything that happened while making it... and the beyond ridiculous hole of debt they were in over this album, they shouldn't have went with "Women" for their "Hey, America, Def Leppard is BACK!!!" proclamation. 

The second track, "Rocket"... is just badass. HUGE drums on this song, that were based on an African tribal vibe. Massive guitars... big melodies, and a chant-like chorus. Producer Mutt Lange, added in some extra effects for this tune. He used backmasking effects to feature the line "We're fighting with the gods of war" (from their song "Gods of War" sung backwards throughout the track. The word "Bites" (from "Love Bites") is also used as a sonic effect halfway through the song, in order to replicate the sounds of a rocket launch through musical samples. This song pays homage to the bands/songs that helped make Def Leppard what they are. They reference Bowie, T. Rex, Queen, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles (with an extra nod to Thin Lizzy) "Dizzy Lizzy"... Chuck Berry, Elton John, Lou Reed, and a few others. This would've been a better first single than "Women", but here in America, it was released as the 7th single (6th everywhere else!)

The third track, "Animal", is my favorite song off the album. I absolutely adore this song. It was released as the album's 2nd single, here in America, the 1st single everywhere else... I think they should've chose this song as their first American single, but that's just my opinion. I know it's 'poppy and fluffy', but this is just a really good song. It's catchy. America likes catchy. According to the band, "Animal" was the most difficult track to record for Hysteria... it was one of the first songs they wrote back in 1984, but it almost 3 years to finally produce and record its perfection. I think it was well worth the struggle and the wait. Aside from it being my favorite song, it's also my favorite Leppard video... which is a bit ironic, because I hate the circus. I absolutely hate it. I hate everything about it, but this is the 26 year old me talking... the kid in me seems to be blinded by this fact.

The fourth track, is "Love Bites"... or what I used to call, "Beans and Rice". Yeah, I was a weird kid. Ha! This song is a power ballad, that was originally written as a country song. (Hint all the whine and sexy twang in Joe's voice) It was released as the 5th single. This is Def Leppard's only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. And I do agree: Love Bites.

The fifth song... you might not know this song... it's a little ditty called "Pour Some Sugar on Me". Heh! THIS is the song that whipped America into shape. THIS is the single that revived Hysteria's heartbeat and record sales, and put it rightfully on the charts. THIS song literally went GOLD in one day. ONE day. It was released as their 4th single, and it reached number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It's Def Leppard's most recognized and most overplayed song. If their "then" manager had even half a brain, he would've chosen THIS song as their 1st single... this is more 'hard rock' than "Women", but again, that's just my opinion. But yes, this song is MASSIVE... MASSIVE. Buuuuut... it shouldn't be the ONLY song that defines Def Leppard. I know to many, it doesn't define them, but to the masses, it does. :/ I have a love/hate relationship with this song, because this is the song that everybody wants to hear, all the time... there's other, far better Leppard songs, than "Pour Some Sugar on Me". However, I am thankful for this song, because it revived my fave band. Without the release of this single, this album would've flopped... and no, just no. Hysteria and flop should not be in the same sentence. Ever.

"Pour Some Sugar on Me" UK video version

The sixth track, is one of my favorites... "Armageddon It". The album's 6th single. Catchy, catchy, catchy! This song is pure pop/rock at its finest. And the bassline is absolutely yummy. Yes, I said yummy. This song is 1st single material, mhm! This song just kicks ass. The guitar solo? Genius. "Come on, Steve, get it.." 

The seventh track, is my 2nd favorite song on the album, "Gods of War". This song is a GEM!!! This is Hysteria's hidden gem. This is a goosebumps-worthy song, for sure. And it makes me cry. It's haunting, and the intro is sexy... the bassline is beyond yummy, and Steve Clark... STEVE CLARK!!! Steve came up with the riff to this song... the riff is absolutely brilliant. This song is all kinds of  BADASS. The pounding of the drums, the roaring guitars, the riff, the vocals, the chorus... everything. It's just brilliant. This song starts off with sounds of explosions, gun's firing, and chants, and ends with sounds of planes bombing and explosions, chanting, and and other war-like sounds. At the end, you can also hear voice recordings from Ronald Reagan and (then) British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. 

GOOSEBUMPS!!! STEEEEEVE ♥

The eighth track, is another hidden gem, "Don't Shoot Shotgun". I absolutely adore this song, I really, really, do. The production on this song is absolutely brilliant. It's insane how perfect it is. Everything is just perfect. Again, pop/rock at its finest. Instead of completely geeking out on this, I'm just going to let you listen to it... so you can geek out on it. Perfection.

The ninth track, is "Run Riot"... a song that I love dearly. I didn't think anything was wrong with it, until a couple of days ago. I was watching an interview that Joe and Phil did for Music Choice On-Demand, and they asked them what's the one thing they would change about this album, and Joe said, "Run Riot". He said, he hates it, detests it, he can't stand it and that it's "an absolute disaster". Both agreed that it was a "great idea", but it sounds "unfinished". After hearing that, it does *kinda* sound unfinished... but not enough to 'hate it', 'detest it', and think it's 'an absolute disaster'... haha! Come on, Joe... wait until you get to track 11...

The tenth track, is the title track, "Hysteria". It was released as their 3rd single. It's a mellow ballad, with a great guitar melody, and heavy multi-tracked vocals in the chorus, which sound amazing. And the guitar solo is absolutely beautiful. It's just a beautiful song, and I love it to death. In my opinion, this is the best ballad on the album... not to mention, one of the best songs on the album... It's simply fantastic.

The eleventh track, is "Excitable"... which for me, isn't that excitable. If Joe hates "Run Riot", I can't possibly understand how he could dig this song. I love this band... to death... but this song annoys me. To me, it's their "filler song"... I think this album would've been fine as an 11 track album... keep "Excitable" as a B-side or something... haha! But even though it annoys me, I still don't fully hate it.

The twelfth, and final track, is "Love and Affection"... another mellow ballad. I think this is one of their often overlooked ballads... this tune is criminally overrated.

There ya have it, folks. This album is EPIC!!! It's absolutely flawless. This is one of the greatest albums of all-time... and I am so very glad, and so very thankful that they were able to complete this album. This album is a monster. It seemed as if the music gods did not want this album to come out... with Rick Allen's horrific car accident, Mutt Lange's accident (putting him out for a while with a leg injury), and Joe getting the mumps, most bands would've just given up, and settled for some mediocre garbage of an album. Not this band. No way. They are freaking troopers... TROOPERS!!!! This album says a lot about this band... strong album, an even stronger band. The album's goal, set out by Mutt Lange, was to be the hard rock version of Michael Jackson's Thriller, in which every track was to be a potential hit single... well, Mr. Lange and Def Leppard, mission accomplished!!! People are STILL jamming to it, buying it, and geeking out on it, 25 years later. TWENTY-FIVE years later!!! Also, before I end this, I must say... I am SO happy that Steve Clark was apart of this album... I think this captured him at his best. Every time someone asks me 'What was so great about Steve Clark?", I give them one word; Hysteria.

Peace, Love, & Music,

~Lizzy Lepp

P.S. - I mentioned the Phil/Joe interview they did for Comcast/Xfinity On-Demand, but didn't give much details. Go to the On-Demand section, scroll down to 'Music', find 'Music Choice', from there, go to 'All Artists', and then go to 'D' scroll down to Def Leppard... they have 3 videos, and 2 recent interviews! It's all available until 9-16 :)